Nana and Ipop are Here!

Evie woke up so early again around 6:15. She does not cry but it's pretty apparent that she's not going back to sleep either. We were doing so good with sleeping late prior to vacation. I am so hopeful that we can get back on track. Evie was so exhausted that she went down for a nap around 11:30.

    She was so happy to see her Nana and Ipop when she woke up this afternoon. My mom is so excited because Evie just runs to her with her arms spread out with anticipation. It's just the cutest thing. Evie kept busy all afternoon playing with her toys. Of course her grandparents brought her a few treats including a tea set, an outfit and an elephant because they are hoping that she will be a Republican. I'd say the chances are quite high considering that we live in the reddest county in the state of Tennessee.

    Evie went to bed and we had a nice dinner. I made homemade macaroni and cheese which is always a treat. Carl grilled a pork tenderloin and we had a few sides. We are having a nice visit! Happy Friday.

Jumping for Joy

Man, is it hot outside. We went for a long walk this morning before the heat got too bad but it was still pretty bad. Evie was sweating while sitting in the stroller. Evie and I went to escape the heat at Pump it Up with our MOMS group. It was our third or fourth time going and Evie has never been much of a fan until today. She really enjoyed jumping and watching the big kids jump! We had a great time and burned off lots of energy. Pizza was served for lunch and sugar cookies with sprinkles so someone was very happy. She's eating a lot better today. I gave her some muffins for snack this morning that were quickly gobbled up and then she banged her hand on the table to let me know that she needed more. Manners are important but all I needed was some banging today to get some food in her little belly.

  Evie had her first visit to the carwash. She was quite impressed but we were both so over it by the time the car was finally done. It was a LONG process but they gave me a coupon for a free wash which made up for the long wait.


  She's napping now and woke up a few minutes ago. I was able to get her back to sleep which almost never happens. Once she's up, there's no going back to sleep for Miss Evie so that was a really nice surprise. Poor thing is worn out from jumping all morning. Mommy is worn out too.


   Do you shop Harris Teeter? They have special deal this summer where you order your groceries online and they load them in your car in the pickup line all for only $1.95. Talk about convenient. Usually, it's $4.85 which still is not bad considering using this service will save you a lot because you do not mindlessly throw things in the cart just because it's on sale.

Little Helper!

Evie and I had a super low-key day at home. We had planned to go visit Carl at work but it turned out not to be the best day for a visit. Maybe it will work out soon.  Evie and I made a quick run to the grocery store and to Pet Smart. She still loves the fish and the birds. I love seeing how excited she gets to see all of the pets. That's as close as she's getting to a pet for a long time.

   Evie and I had lots of playtime today. We built block towers, colored with crayons, sorted objects, changed the baby doll's outfit and read a myriad of books. We did a little straightening and organizing. Evie even turned on the vacuum herself but it startled her so much that she had to sit with me for a long time. She helped me fold clothes and sat on the bed for the longest time. Usually, the bed is used like a trampoline by Evie so this was a nice change of pace. 

   She seems to be growing some more teeth because her appetite is lacking considerably. I think she tried everything in the house and nothing appealed to her so hopefully two strawberries, a dab of cream cheese and four mini-muffins will keep her full throughout the night. She has been chugging milk so I am not too worried. We just put her to bed early because she is exhausted. She slept for three hours this afternoon and slept in the car for a few minutes on the way home from the grocery store. I sure hope she's not getting sick because her Ipop and Nana are coming to see her this weekend. She will be so excited to see them and show off her new tricks.

Peek a Boo Playtown

Evie slept late this morning and then we headed out for a long walk. Evie got mad because I dressed her in a cute Lilly dress and then decided it was too long so then I put another dress on her. She was not happy about that decision at all but she moved on to something else rather quickly. I had no idea that my 18 month old would have such an opinion about her clothes. We met our friends Jacob and Kristin at Peek a Boo Playtown this morning. It's a new indoor playcenter for toddlers and preschoolers. It was fun but we had coupons. I am still not sure if it is worth the admission price without a coupon. Especially since Jacob and Evie liked the doll stroller and grocery carts the best. We already have those things at our house! They did like the little cozy coupe cars so that was cute to see them driving.

  We stayed home the rest of the day and I tried to organize the upstairs a little. My little Tennessee tornado turns everything upside down so quickly that I can barely keep up.

   I met some friends for a Mom's Night Out and it was so delicious. We went to Sopapilla's which just won second best Mexican in Nashville. I had "Tres Tacos" (shrimp, beef and chicken)  and lots of guacomole. We had a great time. It was so nice to have a little time with other moms without our kids but guess what we talked about . . . our kids.

Some kind of Wonderful!

Evie is some kind of wonderful these days. She always has been wonderful but it keeps getting better. She is learning so much and growing so fast.

  We had a few friends over this morning for a playdate. Evie is obsessed with scones and did understand waiting for our friends before eating them. We will work on that later but today we shared a scone on the kitchen floor. There's no one better to share my scone with than my sweet Evie. We had a fun, productive playdate planning out activities for the next few months for our MOMS club. It makes me feel like my brain is still in there somewhere.

  After nap, Evie and I headed to the post office, the jewelry store and the library. She loved the machine that the stamps come out of and tried inserting the receipt to get more stamps. Too bad it does not work that way. Then, we headed to a local jewelry shop with our door knocker that still proclaims that the previous owners live in our house. We have tried buying a new one but they are all 1/4 inch too small and the holes are already there so it looks like he can resurface it for us and put Niemeyer on there which makes so much more sense with we have been the occupants for the last eight months. It never bothered me until we had our shutters and door painted. A fresh start seems appropriate. Our last stop was the library. Evie loves the owl in the tree that hoots at her as she walks through the tunnel in the children's area. She also loves the train table and reading stacks of books on the comfy couch. Evie is a reader just like her Mama. I hope it lasts.

     Evie was so happy to see her Daddy. He took her for a wagon ride while I made some spaghetti. Now, she just hopped on my lap fresh and sweet from her bath. There's nothing better than a clean baby.

Blazing Heat!

Evie did not sleep late this morning! We were totally counting on it but she must not have received the message. Carl had to go into work unexpectedly this morning so Evie and I did a few things around the house.He got back in time for lunch and Evie was so exhausted that she had an early nap.

   I ran a few errands - it's amazing how much easier errands are without Evie! It was so hot that we headed outside to Evie's little pool for a quick dip. She had a blast playing outside and did not seem one bit bothered by the blazing sun. Summer is my favorite season but this heat is pretty hard to handle. Makes me reconsider my feelings on calling Nashville the frozen tundra all winter but I'd still rather be hot than cold.

   We had a great day with Evie. I think this is my favorite age because she is just so fun.  Carl grilled burgers for dinner and we put Evie to bed early. It's time to relax a little before another busy week. Hope you had a fantastic weekend.

Peanut Butter and Playmates

Evie tried peanut butter this morning. I think we were way more excited about than she was but she did eat it. She had a Ritz with peanut butter and then a little sandwich for lunch. Thank goodness, she is not allergic so I can cross that off my list of worries.  Teaching school made me apprehensive about giving her peanut butter because it's such a highly allergenic food.

   We took a family trip to Home Depot this morning to get a few things. Some of our stuff did not work so I guess we will be going back tomorrow.

   We headed to Murfreesboro to see our sweet friend Maura and Tim. It was so much fun! They got some delicious Mexican food and served a fabulous berry pie. Evie and Abby played so well together although Evie smothered her with kisses. At least, she's not hitting but she sure likes to kiss! They played in the pool and then had fun walking up and down the stairs which proved to be quite entertaining for the two of them. Abby and Evie play so well together that'd it be nicer to live closer to each other. Maura and I said that each girl could take on of the twins and we'd be all set. Evie was tired and stayed up way past her bedtime. She's sound asleep now so maybe she will sleep late in the morning.

Waiting!

Evie and I had such a fun day together. She gets more fun every day and I just love spending my days with her. I feel so fortunate to have this wonderful opportunity!

  We ran a few errands this morning. Evie has become quite friendly and loves to chat with people that she comes across. What a change from a few months ago? She still has a thing about really old people getting in her face. That makes her pretty mad and she does not really care if they are a grandparent but she likes them more once they give her a little space.

     I had to go pick up my number for the consignment sale tonight. Goodness, this has been an experience between the sorting, tagging, drop-off duty, number pick up, waiting in line to get inside, finding the clothes and then waiting to pay for them. The jury is still out on whether this was worth it or not. Evie did great while we waited for our number. We were #37 but there were literally thousands of consigners. Evie was exhausted by the time we got home and then Carl got home just in time for me to get to the sale. I bought 16 items and spent $65 which is a pretty good return on my time and money. Not to mention that I ran into a few friends and had the chance to catch up a bit. Too bad I was not as successful as Sarah Denley is at these type of things! Can't wait to see how much my stuff sales for. Of course, I had to scope out the area to see if any of Evie's stuff had sold. Most of it was already sold so that's always a good thing. It will probably seem worth it once I get my check.

 Carl and I just finished some okra soup for dinner. I am exhausted and ready for bed. Happy Friday!

Bag Lady

Evie likes all things B these days: balls, broccoli, balloons, babies, baths, bubbles and BAGS! She is infatuated with carrying around her shopping bag and fills it up with random things from throughout the house. It keeps her busy and quiet so I am all for it. She found a few accessories to wear while shopping courtesy of the laundry that had not been folded. My swim cover up became a scarf, her feet were shoved into her tiny shoes and her hat worked nicely to tie everything together

   We had a playdate at Christina's house this morning. It was so much fun. She always has the best playdates. Evie dropped her entire bowl of cereal on the floor this morning before we left so her breakfast was a fruit smoothie. She must have been hungry because she ate four mini-muffins and some fruit salad at the playdate. Evie did great playing with everyone and I had fun chatting with the moms. We had a new mom there today, Sara, with  her precious 6 month old named Joshua. He was born 367 days after Evie and he is already close to her weight. What a big boy! Evie really liked him and I really liked his Mama.

    Naptime was a huge success after our busy morning and then we had to run a few errands. Carl was swamped at work and got home in time to play with Evie for a few minutes before bed. All day long, Evie has been searching for her "Da Da." She must have said "Da Da" over 100 times today so I was happy to see her "Da Da" too. There was a young couple looking at the home across the street and Evie banged on the window while shouting "Da Da" because she was just positive that was Carl. It was really cute today but will definitely become tiresome if this continues.

   Carl and I had a great night grilling, hanging out in the hammock and chatting about our busy days. Hope you had a terrific Thursday.

Red Letter Day!

Evie woke up bright and early this morning. I refuse to begin our day before 7:00 so Evie is perfectly content to hang out in her crib. We are so lucky that she is able to occupy herself while we acclimate to the morning. I peeked at the monitor and saw her working on the zipper of her pajamas. She was being especially quiet so I looked again a few minutes later. Miss Priss had managed to unzip the zipper and had her pajama's down around her bellybutton. She was was happily inspecting her bellybutton. I did a few things around the house and the next time I checked on Evie there were no pajama's on her or even in the crib. Evie was so happy! I grabbed the camera and was able to catch this shot of my sweet girl!

Evie got some new clothes on and they are still on her body the last time that I checked and we headed downstairs for breakfast. It was time for a long walk to the park before it got too hot.

    Evie had her 18 month check up this morning. Our usual pediatrician is out of town for several weeks so we had to see another provider. Evie loved her and even tried to sit on her lap. She did not love the nurse and was not happy at all to be weighed. Perhaps she knew that the scales might show all those extra treats from vacation last week. Evie weighs about 24 pounds which puts her in the 50% and she is close to 33 inches long which puts her in the 90%. Not sure about her head measurements since that does not matter too much to me since her head seems to be working just fine. Evie was so nervous during the initial exam with the nurse that she called her Aunt Lindsay on the phone. We thought that was so funny! Dr. K was impressed with Evie's vocabulary and ability to spot balls from a mile away. Evie showed Dr. K a ball on her diploma from Medical School. Apparently, Evie is the first one to ever identify the seal as a ball.  Dr. K told me that Evie was quite the busy bee as she sorted books and toys while we chatted about Evie's growth and development. We got a super report! I am going to give Evie peanut butter this weekend which thrills Carl because he has been waiting patiently to eat boiled peanuts with Evie for a long time.  Evie did fine during her shot but did not like the Barbie Band aid at all. She plucked it right off and threw it on the ground so the nurse gave her a flesh colored one that coordinated better with her outfit. Too bad Carl had to miss all the excitement but he was at the doctor getting his foot checked out. It's been bothering him for over a week. He's out getting an x-ray s hopefully he can begin to get some relief.

   Evie is sound asleep after our busy morning! Kristin and I are going out for pedicures and dinner tonight so it's time for me to get busy around the house.

18 Months!

Dear Evie,


   Time keeps flying by and we just cannot believe that you are just as close to being 3 as you are to being a newborn. That puts it in perspective! You are so special to us and we just love you so much. We love you more today than we did yesterday and I have a funny feeling that it will be like this forever! Daddy and I are pretty sure you love us too as you shower us with lots of hugs and kisses. You cannot tell you love us with your mouth but your eyes certainly convey that message quite well!


   Eating is hit or miss these days. Some days you eat everything and some days you eat almost nothing. Throwing food is still one of your favorite pastimes. You are sitting in a booster seat which makes it so much easier to clean up after meals. Let's try to work on keeping our bowls of cereal on the table instead of the floor. You love to eat anything that Mommy and Daddy are eating. Sometimes we are able to sneak some extra food into you this way. You head into the pantry when you are hungry or bored and point at the food that has captured your interest.


  You are about 25 pounds and it's getting harder to hold you especially since you would let us hold you all day. Clothes in your closet range from 12-24 months depending on the brand and they all fit! You found a hat the other day from when you were a baby. It was so little that you thought it was a shoe. Speaking of shoes, you still love them and try to put my shoes on my feet and then take them off to put them on your feet.

   You are still a really good sleeper. Naptime is around 12:30 and you sleep between 2 and 3 hours. Sometimes more if you are really worn out. Bedtime is 7 and you sleep until 7:00 or 7:30. Later on the weekends, when the alarm clock does not ding bright and early. You have really good hearing and pop right up to see what is going on if you hear us moving around in your room. Moments later you are back to dreamland. I just love to put you to bed because you are so soft and cuddly. Most nights you let us rock you for a few minutes while we sing to you.


  Daddy turned your seat around so you are facing forward now. It's a whole new world out there and you seem to like it especially when the windows are down. We had a bit of an adjustment but you have figured out that just because you can see me does not mean that I can be at your beck and call since I am supposed to keep my eyes on the road.


   You love to play with you friends and have toned down your hitting tremendously. Hugging is your new favorite way to show love to your friends. It sounds good in theory but your hugs can sometimes be a little vigorous for your friends taste.

  You are a really good cleaner. Each morning, you get a wipe to clean your baby and it's so sweet to see you giving your baby a bath. You also like to wipe the floor and table which works out nicely since you are the one who makes about 95% of the messes around here. That's okay one day, I will want you to come back and make messes for me to clean up.

     Fourth of July was really fun! You loved the fireworks and kept pointing your little finger at the sky. Fireworks are pretty amazing so I can only imagine how special they must be to you since you have no concept of where they are coming from.


    You went to your first wedding. Aunt Dale got married and you liked looking at everyone. You looked so beautiful, everyone told us so. Mommy and Daddy were nervous about your behavior but you managed quite nicely. I am so glad you finally got to meet your Cousin Brian and Aunt Dale. Mommy wishes you could have met your Uncle Jim because he would have loved you so much! Everyone loves you Evie.


   You went on your second trip to the beach. It was a really long drive to Florida but we had so much fun. Daddy loved taking you out into the ocean. You had no fear at all which made me a little nervous. You got pretty good at going out to eat. Maybe we should practice more because you seemed to like gazing at the other children trying to figure them out.

  Raffi is still your constant companion. Thank goodness, that we have three of them now. Raffi went for a little swim in the toilet. YUCK! Don't worry, I washed him for you. Daddy still sings you songs about Raffi being a part of our family. Sometimes you even want us to kiss Raffi goodnight. Never imagined kissing a stuffed animal would be part of my daily routine. I have a feeling that Raffi will be around for a long time.

   You are talking a lot. Some of your favorite words are cup, ball, and pool. You babble a lot and say "mm mmm" when I ask you a question. I think you must really understand me because you only say that when it's something you like a lot. We have noticed that your understanding has grown by leaps and bounds. You do pretty much everything we ask you to do if you are in the mood. Or you just look at us like are crazy if you do not think it's a good idea.

    Evie, we just love being your parents. Every day is a new adventure and we feel so honored to be sharing this adventure with you. You are more fun than we could have ever imagined and fill our life with so much joy. You are our sweet, precious little girl and we love you so much! Mommy and Daddy

   

Adjustment!

Well, Evie is still on Eastern time which has made for a very interesting day! She slept until about 6:30 but then was tired at 8:45 so I put her down for a nap thinking that would help her make it a bit longer. I woke her after a bit to go to a pool party with Declan and Stephen. She was so excited to go to the pool and kept saying pool to me since it's one of her new words.

   We had a fun time at the pool. Evie was mesmerized by the big kids and loved hanging out on the float. Evie was the only girl and she is quite adept at holding her own with the boys. She kept trying to blow bubbles but had to take break for a ladybug cookie. It was a beautiful day with lots of sun and a little tiny breeze. I love taking Evie to the pool. Today was about as relaxing as it gets watching her float around.

    We came home and Evie seemed ready for a nap. Almost three hours later, she still had not napped, guess she thought she'd already taken care of her nap for the day. She laughed, sang, banged on the wall, called for her Mama, screamed a little and ran all over her crib. Multiple trips were made into her room to settle her for some sleep time. Let's just say that we were both relieved when I took her out and played on the floor next to her crib. She was so thrilled and rewarded me with lots of kisses.

    I kept her with me and we did a few things around the house. She was in a fantastic mood, laughing and playing with her baby doll. We went to pick up the alterations and the lady told me that Evie must keep me on my toes. That's the understatement of the year!

    Dinner was a disaster that resulted in vanilla yogurt splattered all over the door in the kitchen. I fed her bites of dinner while she sat on my lap then we gave her a few Cheez-Its which will hopefully tide her over until the morning. By 5:30, I had to work VERY hard to keep Evie content and by 6:30, she was passed out in her bed. Carl said she practically fell asleep during story time. We have not been on Eastern time for 9 days in a long time and it's going to take some time to get her back on track. Photo's were not happening here today. I will try again tomorrow!

Vacation Recap

ICU at Ponce's Inlet for the turtles.

Turtle that we found on the nature trail.

Tourist!

Beautiful lighthouse on Ponce's Inlet.

Beautiful baby girl.

Daddy with his sweet Evie.

Family picture at Jack Snack.

What a beautiful girl!

Running on the beach!

Something caught her eye - probably a helicopter.

                                          We had so much fun at the beach with our Evie.

Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy!

We are finally back from Florida! It's was one long trip and made us miss North Carolina since it's so much closer to the beach. Carl has driven 1900 miles in the last 9 days. Crazy! Evie did much better coming back. Maybe she is used to being forward now and all of her teeth came in so she probably felt a lot better. She slept some, played with her dolls and snacked while pointing out every ball between Ormond Beach and Nashville.

  We drove to Atlanta yesterday and spent the night with our neighbors from Charlotte, the Haber's. It was so much fun to see them and their beautiful baby boy in their gorgeous new home. We had a fabulous time and felt like no time had passed since our last visit. The kids went right to sleep and we enjoyed a  fantastic dinner prepared by Alicia and Mike and stayed up late catching up on the last nine months. Carl and I slept so well. It felt so good to be in a comfortable bed after being on an older mattress for the past few nights.Mike picked up some bagels for breakfast. Evie and Liam were so adorable together. They kept kissing and patting each other. Liam thought Evie was pretty interesting. He watched her really carefully as she flung food from one end of their kitchen to the other. We are already planning our next visit!

   We got home around 12:30 and I took my items to consign. It was a madhouse but luckily my drop-off went very smoothly. Some people seemed to be consigning their entire house by the looks of their piles. I made a quick trip to the grocery store and Carl hung out with Evie. He said she was having so much fun playing with her toys and seemed to be taking inventory after her absence last week. Hope they are all still here. Carl mowed our jungle yard. It must have rained a lot while we were gone because our grass was so high.Our neighbors put their house up for sale while we were gone. Their son just moved to Hickory and they have decided to join his family there. We can understand that. It's hard being far from your family in so many ways.

    Evie is on Eastern time so she went to bed super early and we had a babysitter come so we could go to Crockett Park to see The Tams. Carl and I had so much fun! It was a perfect night for an outdoor concert and  we both love Carolina beach music. Tennessee has a different idea of beach music and we noticed that they did not play Carolina Girls. We danced a few songs, ate a picnic and enjoyed spending some time with each other.

    Hope you had a great weekend!